Graduating with his master’s degree in aerospace engineering this week, Nicholas Tijerina has balanced his master’s thesis, academics and athletics with success across the board.
In addition to playing wheelchair softball, Tijerina has been instrumental in growing the university’s wheelchair tennis program, including in his performance as half of the winning team at the 2024 ITA National Wheelchair Tennis Championships – the premier competition in all of collegiate wheelchair tennis. In fact, he reports that multiple students have now come to UH specifically to participate in its collegiate wheelchair tennis program.
“Wheelchair tennis is a big part of my life,” he said. “On top of the national championship and continuing to push myself, I also plan on competing in International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournaments, and I want to become a wheelchair tennis Paralympian.”
Tijerina is also a published author as of this year, with an original research paper published in a journal of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
“That was a big accomplishment for me personally, because I really wanted to establish myself as a researcher and give back to the aerospace community,” he said. He also had the opportunity to complete an out-of-state Air Force research lab internship, which he described as “a great experience to get out of my comfort zone and meet new people.”
“Everybody goes through different things in trying to find their place in the community and their place in the world, and because I’m in a wheelchair… I wouldn’t say it’s much more difficult, but my difference is a bit more visible,” he said. “Trying to find my community, to figure out the people I get along with most while also keeping up with school — even figuring out where to sit, which was kind of nerve-wracking because not every classroom has [accessible] seating — it just took some getting used to and took some time to fit in and accept myself.
“I think I’m most proud of growing as a person,” he continued. “I’ve explored different strengths, between pushing myself to play tennis, my academics and doing my master’s thesis. It’s really set a new standard for what I see as hard, and it has allowed me to have a lot more confidence and become a better version of myself.”
Tijerina’s thesis concerns conformal trailing edges. Rather than traditional linear aircraft flap hinges, Tijerina has modeled his as a fourth order polynomial, reminiscent of a bird’s wing, to reduce flutter and increase performance across different configurations. In addition to working an engineering job post-graduation — he’s currently weighing offers as he considers the government versus private sectors — he intends to bring that research to fruition going forward.
“I really want to fabricate my master’s thesis into a real, physical prototype and establish my own aerospace engineering company out of what comes from it,” he said.
“I want to emphasize that I couldn’t do this by myself,” he added. “At the end of the day, you can or you can’t, but the people around me have really shaped and molded me into the person that I am. The different experiences, the different interactions, the friendships — it has all helped me get through and helped me push forward. I couldn’t have done this alone.
“The culmination of everything I’ve experienced at UH has changed the trajectory of my life,” Tijerina concluded. “I’m so grateful for that.”